I don't really understand this question for my SoP/cover letter, help needed!

[Narwhallaby]

Hi!

I am a European MSc student trying to get more relevant research experience in preparation of my PhD apps next year, and I now find myself writing a cover letter for a US internship postition. I need to answer the following question, and I am not sure how to go about it:

How do you hope to use your upbringing, background and/or life experiences to enhance your internship experience.

Should I focus on how my background helped me develop the academic/informal skills to succeed in an internship?
Is this more of a specific diversity/overcoming challenges-focused question? Should I be talking about personal difficulties?
Should I focus on my extracurriculars/outreach activities?

In the European applications I have encountered so far the focus was very strongly on purely academic qualifications, so I am worried I might be blind to some cultural clue about how to answer this question. Any tips about what I might be expected to focus on in my answer to this question would be very much appreciated!
 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Narwhallaby
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